Drain for sprinkler



y 1958 H. w. HANF DRAIN FOR SPRINKLER Filed Oct. 25, 1956 Fig.4

Hobart W. Hanf IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent ()flice 2,845,302 Patented July 29,- 1958 DRAIN FORSPRINKLER Hobart W. Hanf, Oceanside, Calif.

Application October 23, 1956, Serial No. 617,828

1 Claim. (Cl. 299--61) This invention relates to improvements insprinklers and more particularly to sprinklers of the type which arefixtures in the lawn or other area that is to be serviced by thesprinkler system.

An object of the invention is to provide a sprinkler head with means todrop the water level in the head when the use thereof is discontinued.In any sprinkler system, it seens that there are always one or more lowsprinkler heads in each run or unit of the system. The water levelremains at the top of these low heads because of the water in thesystem. The result is that a moss or other impurity forms in the head.After a while, the impurities, and/or moss piugs the spray head, makingit inoperative, or at least inefi'ectual.

Accordingly, a further object of the invention is to relieve the abovedescribed difliculty by forming drains n the outside of the sprinklerhead and in all of the sprinkler heads of the system, or at least thelow ones, so that the water level will be maintained at a low conditionby draining off excess water after the sprinkler system has been turnedoif.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a top view of a sprinkler head which is constructed in suchway as to demonstrate the principles of the invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal, sectional view taken approximately on theline 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary, elevational View taken approximately on theline 3-3 of Figure l; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, sectional view showing a modified head onwhich the principles of the invention are applied.

In the accompanying drawing there is a sprinkler head 10. It consists ofa water line 12 which rises vertically to a point below the grade level14. A cylindrical housing 16, having a side Wall, an open, internallythreaded end and a top wall 18, is threaded onto the extremity ofpipeline 12. The housing encloses a valve chamber 20 in which there is avertically movable valve 22.

Valve 22 consists of a hollow stem 24 having a flange 26 at its lowerend and a nozzle 28 at its upper end. Strainer 30 is attached to theflange 26 and is in registry with the passageway 32 which is formed inthe hollow stem 24. Passageway 32 opens into the nozzle 28, the latterconsisting of a hollow body 32 having a discharge orifice 34 in one walland a nozzle plate 36 in the hollow body spaced slightly from theorifice 34 and having four liquid conducting holes or channels 38therein.

Flange 26 functions as a valve in the operation of the sprinkler head.When water under pressure is applied to the bottom-surface of the valve22, it is lifted by' that pressure, causing the shank 24 to-move'through the open ing. 40 in the top wall 18 of housing 16. The uppersurface of flange 26'corn'es to bear against the lower surface ofwall'18, closing the liquid conducting channels 42 that are formedgenerally laterally in top Wall 18 and thereby causing, all the waterpassing through pipeline 12 :to pass throughnozzle 28. When the water inline 12 is turned off, the stem 24 of valve 22 is gravity lowered. By solowering the valve stem, flange 26 becomes separated from channels 42,permitting the water to drain out of nozzle 28 through channel 42 andout through drain holes 48 to the surrounding soil.

Upwardly opening casing 44 is made as a partial sphere having a smallerend provided with an opening 46 in which housing 16 is fitted andattached. Drain holes 48 are formed in the casing 44 at a low pointthereof, permitting any water accumulated in the casing 44 to drain tothe ground surrounding the sprinkler head.

A second embodiment of the invention, as demonstrated by sprinkler head60, is shown in Figure 4. This sprinkler head is of a type which is tobe installed in a subterranean sprinkler system, as is the sprinklerhead of Figure 2. Instead of being of the pop-up type, the sprinklerhead 60 is of the fixed type. It includes a generally cylindricalhousing 62 which is threaded onto a pipeline, for example, a pipelineidentical to that shown at 12 in Figure 2. Nozzle 64 is formed at thetop of the housing by having an orifice 66 formed in the top wall 68thereof and by having a nozzle plate 70 extending transversely acrossthe housing beneath the end wall 68. Four water conducting channels 72,at an angle to the axis of the orifice 66, are formed in the nozzleplate 70.

An upwardly opening casing 74, identical in construction and function tothe upwardly opening casing 44, is attached to the housing 62 andslightly below the generally laterally extending water passages 76 whichare formed in the wall 78, the latter being in housing 62 beneath thenozzle 64. A central opening 80 is formed in wall 78 and is adapted toconduct liquid under pressure to feed the nozzle 64. A seat 82,consisting of an inwardly directed flange, is in housing 62 beneath wall78. This seat has a vertically movable valve 84 disposed thereon. Thisvalve is to be actuated by liquid under pressure, and, therefore, it isin the form of a washer having an area in access of the area of seat 82.In addition, valve 84 is of such dimension that when it is movedupwardly by water under pressure, it closes the channels 76, therebyrequiring that all of the water pass through the nozzle 64. Drain holes88 are formed in a low point in upwardly opening casing 74. When thesprinkler head 60 becomes inefiectual, as by turning 01f the water, thevalve 84 falls onto its seat 82, enabling water to drain out of nozzle64 through channel 76 and out drain holes 88 to the surrounding soil.Water remaining in the casing 74 is drained to the surrounding soilthrough drains 88.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A sprinkler head comprising an open top casing having water drainopenings therein adjacent its bottom, a cylindrical open bottom housingdepending through the bottom of the casing and rising therein, saidhousing being adapted for threading of its bottom onto a vertical q I?water pressure pipe to receive water under pressure from said pipe, saidhousing having a side wall and having a top wall provided with a centralopening therein, water drain channels in said top Wall around saidopening communicating with said casing and with the interior of saidhousing for draining water from said housing into said casing to drainout of said drain openings, a hollow stem slidably depending throughsaid opening in the top wall and gravity actuated downwardly in theabsence of water pressure in said pipe and housing, a water dischargenozzle on said stern above said top Wall responsive to water pressurefrom said line to lift said stem, and a cir- 5 through said channelsfrom said pipe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSBurdick -r Apr. 21, 1953 Hadden Nov. 11, 1913

